Results from South Valley Slam, more boxing, MMA news

Some MMA results from Saturday night in Hurricane, at the South Valley Slam. These are courtesy of Jeffrey "Dutch" Dutcher from Fighting Out of MMA Net.

Pro bouts:

155: David Jordan defeated Dustin Jenkins, 5th round TKO. "Jordan was losing the whole fight until he landed the punches to finish it," Dutcher wrote.

145: James Russell Francis defeated Daniel Stratton via 1st round straight ankle lock.

145-pounder John Valentine, fighting a heavier weight against Michael Dillard, won via a first round TKO (strikes).

135: Jerold Shapiro defeated Florin Moraru via tap to strikes.

155: Brian Thomson defeated Mitch Shapiro via slit decision.

Amateur bouts:

145 pounds: Bryce Edminister (The Garage MMA) defeated Nick Estrada via armbar in round one.

170: Aldyn Ashcraft decisioned Anthony Turchetta.

105: women: Magaly Sanchez decisioned Michelle Daley.

135: Scott Nelson defeated Luis Camacho via split decision.

125: Justus Minardi defeated Daniel Arellano via split decision.

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MMA News: Some fighters with local presence, including One Hit MMA's Rowdy Akers, will be fighting in a King of the Cage promoted event on June 17. Others participating include Kerry Lattimer, Gabe Pelayo and Andrew Crusz.

Boxing News: Undefeated Salt Lake City boxer Ignacio Chairez will also be on the June 9 boxing card at The Complex in SLC, joining another undefeated Utah, Larry Gomez.

We'll update some of this with our next blog post.

Jose Haro to fight for USBA boxing title

Big news for Utah boxing this week. Professional boxer Jose Haro, 13-1-1, of West Jordan (seen above at left), will fight for the United States Boxing Association 126-pound featherweight championship. Haro fights Daniel Franco, 15-1-3, of Riverside, Calif., in the 10-round bout.

The fight's on Saturday, June 10 in Sloan, Iowa, at WinnaVegas Casino and Resort, and it's paired with another title bout. It also is scheduled to be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network, which is channel 269 (Xfinity).

Haro, a current American Boxing Organization regional title holder, has long merited this opportunity and we're very happy for him. They'll be thousands of Utah fight fans with him in spirit on June 10.

Also, a day earlier, June 9, at The Complex in Salt Lake City, undefeated pro welterweight Larry Gomez, 6-0, and the Utah champion, will be in the ring. We wish Larry well as his career progresses.

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South Valley Slam this weekend

Also, this Saturday night in Hurricane is the South Valley Slam MMA card. We have focused on advancing this card, interviewing Daniel Stratton and James Francis Russell Francis, who are meeting, as well as John Valentine (here and here) and Bryce Edminister, both of whom are competing in separate bouts.

On Saturday, we will gather results courtesy of Fighting Out of Utah MMA News and make sure we have a small blog post Sunday on the card. Good luck to all the fighters and here is the entire card.

Golden Gloves recap; Valentine wins Jiu Jitsu tourney

Here's a recap of Utah's experience at the national Golden Gloves. First, I asked Jon Bryant, of Lights Out gym (above at left), the Rocky Mountain 152-pound champ, to share his experiences, in his own words:

Bryant: My national Golden Gloves experience was crazy! Our flight got canceled to Louisiana from Dallas. So we were stuck at the airport for six hours and we all decided to take a three SUVs and drive the seven hours all the way to Lafayette, Louisiana.

My first morning was eye-opening and kind of overwhelming. As I went to go get breakfast there were hundreds of fighters in one hallway. Never have I seen so many fighters in one place, especially good top fighters. We got served powdered eggs, grits, sausage, bacon, and rolls. 

Then on May 2 I had to weigh in. I was super tall and lanky compared to the rest of the 152 division. But there was two that were even taller than I. By this time I was getting nervous to fight. But I got a pass the weigh-in day. 

The most positive things about the national Golden Gloves experience would probably have to be getting to see top competition and seeing what I have to be at next year. I feel like I'm on their level I just have to get to the comfortable level in the ring because I know I can stop these guys, 

Another positive was getting to know everyone on the Rocky Mountain team. At first everyone kind of kept to themselves but by the second day everyone was talking and having fun acting like a team etc. I've learned a lot from this experience, I need to throw a lot more and just be me in the ring. Because if I'm comfortable and I'm myself, nobody at the national tournament can stop me. I also have to have more confidence in my ability to box because I have so many advantages over everyone that was there and I didn't use them. 

But hand-in-hand it was an amazing experience and I will make it next year and I'll get even farther into the tournament or perhaps come back as your 2018 Rocky Mountain Golden Glove Champion.

Thanks Jon, we appreciate hearing a personal and unique perspective of competing at that level.

I chatted with Julian Stevens, of Lights Out, who was there with Jon and Jose Torres, another local competitor, for an update on the week. From Stevens:

-- Diego Alvarez, of Ogden, last year's champ, lost a close decision to the New England rep; Gabriel Chairez defeated Michigan's rep then lost to Cincinnati's rep; Bryant lost to the New York rep; Halatoa Piutau lost to the Texas rep; Torres was defeated by the Chicago rep; and Emilio "Milo" Gutierrez lost to Buffalo rep. 

Thanks Julian.

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As I mentioned yesterday, John Valentine, who is competing at Sand Hollow in the South Valley Slam on May 13, just competed in the Las Vegas International IBJJF Open Jiu Jitsu Championships. He took first in his division. I asked John (see above on top at podium) to share his experiences at the event. These are his words:

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu(BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Nogi World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship and European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship. The federation was created by Carlos Gracie, Jr. 

Its tournament, with one of the toughest fields, leads up to the world championships. It's called the Las Vegas Open International IBJJF Jiu Jitsu Championships. Competitors included the likes of Andre Galvao, Lucas Barbosa, Ary Farias, Paul Miyao, Vinny Magalhes, Carlos Farias, Drysdale champions Antonio Lopez, Arin Adjamian and Sylvio Behring, standout champion, and Coach Peter Iacavazzi. 

The event host not only opportunities to compete in your weight class but also the absolute division where there are no weight limits. For example, someone 125 pounds could fight someone in the ultra heavy weight at 260 pounds. The event makes for exciting spectacles for the fans. 

With the world championship looming in just a few months this tournament at used as a tuneup for many of the fighters as they look to pursue their dream of a world championship. The tournament hosted many local Utah fighters and those associated with the sport here locally. 

(As John told me, he decided to take the challenge, less than two weeks before fight time at South Valley Slam, and compete. He entered a division two weights higher than is usual weight, the middleweights, or 180-plus pounds. His competitors extended to Brazil.)

Why that weight? "Partially for the challenge to see if I could compete at that level and against opponents much larger like the one I'll face at South Valley Slam, who is younger and will hold a 7 inch reach advantage and likely be 20 to 30 pounds heavier," Valentine said.

(To his credit, John won his division, taking the gold medal, defeating all in his bracket and not having a point scored against him. It's an impressive accomplishment for a 46-year-old competitor. He's seen below with his hand raised.)

As for the future, after the MMA fight, "I'll switch gears in preparation for the world championships and then a submission-only super fight that will take place in Las Vegas for charity," John said, adding that Amy Campo from Edward Mori team also participated. He also thanked Team Drysdale, saying, "I attribute my success to training with one of the best teams in the country under world champion Robert Drysdale."

Congratulations Jon, and good luck in the world championships. We also wish John and his opponent, Michael Dillard, best of luck on May 13 in Sand Hollow.

On this multiple week of Utah Fight Blog, we'll have one more post Saturday, talking a bit more about local boxing and MMA cards in June. Don't forget to read Thursday's blog post.

An interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister

Again, we have a lot of information for the Utah Fight Blog this week, so I plan to release information over a couple of days, or three. Today features an interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister, who fights Nick Estrada at Sand Hollow May 13 at the South Valley Slam. You can see Bryce (above on the left) in a recent bout. He trains at David Castillo's The Garage in Davis County.

We will also have (tomorrow) an interview with John Valentine, also fighting at Sand Hollow. He recently competed in an open Jiu Jitsu tournament in Las Vegas, taking home first place.

We also have info from the National Golden Gloves, and by tomorrow or Saturday hope to hat with Jon Bryant, and his trainer, Julian Sanchez, about the Louisiana experience. Utah's representatives have finished their bouts there.

Finally, we'll update info on the upcoming SteelFist card in June. We will have interviews with fighters as the date draws near. ONE MORE THING: Fierce Fighting Championships has announced a card in June. We'll certainly be covering that as if gets closer. One interesting bit is that Ogden pro Jordan Chandler, who recently won at SteelFist, is scheduled to fight on the card.

Here's the interview with Edminister (6-3-1) who meets Estrada (3-0)

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UFG: What motivates you about the bout, to go through training?

Edminister: Honestly there's a lot of reasons why this next fight is going to be pivotal one in my fight career. I've been in this game for just over 5 years. That's five years where I've learned different lessons, experienced different situations and have identified what separates the great from the mediocre. I'm at a point in my career where everything is starting to come together on a whole different level than it has before. Seeing everything in my game click and progress is really what is making the grind all worth it. This next fight is going to set the tone for these upcoming years. It's go time! 

UFG: What's your fight style? What is a key strength of your opponent and how will you neutralize that.

Edminister: I like to think I have my own unique style but at the end of the day, especially at this day and age of MMA, we are all just Mixed Martial Artists with our own strengths. I like to think of myself as a technical grappler, with solid footwork on my feet, and decent power in these hands...I guess I'll claim that as my style, ha ha. Nick Estrada has an undefeated record from his relentless pace and heavy hands that have overwhelmed his opponents in the past. I plan to use my angles and footwork to neutralize him on the feet and I have a lot of confidence in my Jiu Jitsu if we end up on the canvas. Nick is a tough individual and this will sure be a fun one for the fans! 

UFG: What's your training like daily? Who is coaching you? Who is working out and sparring with you?

Edminister: We have a very solid approach to the day to day training for this bout. I am happy to claim The Garage as my home here in Layton. My coaches Anthony Lobato, Jason Tafoya and David Castillo are the best in the business. Each bring a different angle and input that has shaped me into the Mixed Martial Artist I am today. With them and my team at The Garage behind me, I am more than confident in how we run our training, sparring, and preparation for this bout. 

UFG: How is MMA improve you and your life. What are some longer-term goals in the sport?

Edminister: Look at the end of the day we are all fighting for something. Some of us in the literal sense and some of us in a metaphorical sense. MMA has taught me that there's always a path to the next level of anything. Sometimes all you have to do is find the path and be willing to step out of your comfort zone and see where new roads lead; a mindset that has impacted my life both inside and outside of the cage. When I win this fight I plan to keep this train rolling with another until my coaches pull the trigger on my professional career. It's coming soon, keep an eye open!

Good luck on May 13, Bryce.

Remember, there will another fight game blog on Friday and likely Saturday as well.

Interviews with MMA pros Daniel Stratton, James Russell Francis

This week we start previewing, in earnest, the South Valley Beach Slam that happens in Hurricane, Utah in about three weeks, We have interviewed John Valentine, who will fight on the MMA card, and today we interview Daniel Stratton and James Russell Francis, who will be meeting on the card. It's a rematch of a bout a while ago that Francis won. (Stratton is on the left and Francis the right on the photo above.

So, let's start with Stratton first:

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: So my name is Daniel "The Spartan" Stratton..... I am from Vernal, Utah and recently turned 27 years old. I've been into martial arts pretty much my whole life... I was never really into team sports but I always loved wrestling and martial arts. I had my first fight when I was 17 and a junior in high school and I have been in love with it ever since.

I'm currently scheduled to face James "Scrappy" Francis in an MMA bout for the South Valley Slam promotion May 13th down in Sand Hollow, Utah. This will actually be a rematch between us... he beat me back in January of 2015. So I am very eager to take a shot at redemption. I've been on a rather long hiatus from fighting... when I step into the cage to fight James it will have been 18 months since my last fight. And boy let me tell you what a crazy 18 months that has been. Among many other things I recently spent some time in the hospital with a life-threatening lung infection... this happened back in January. So its pretty crazy to me that not too long ago I was on death's doorstep and now i'm saddling up to be a gladiator again.

One of my best friends and long time fight manager Joey Montanez spent some time with me in the hospital and has been keeping up with me since I got out and thought a fight would be the perfect thing to get my life up and back on track and going again so he gave me a call and asked if I wanted to start getting ready. He did some looking around and called me back and asked if I'd be interested in re matching James again... I don't think the first fight lived up to its full potential and so I jumped at the opportunity. (Photo below is of Stratton and Valentine (right) from 2012)

(ABOUT YOUR OPPONENT) James and I are friends and I know we both respect each other as men and athletes... I know we are both tough as nails and love putting on a good show. I'd bet my purse that its going to be fight of the night so it's not going to be one you want to miss. Skill-wise we match up really well.... we are both well rounded and our fights tend to turn into slugfests so I'm excited to throw down.
(ABOUT TRAINING) I'm living in Vernal, Utah and doing the bulk of my training with Travis Marx at his gym called The Train Station here in Vernal.... I've been working with him for a couple years now and he's been a great friend and coach. I also come to Salt Lake a lot and do some training with my manager Joey and a few other fighters. I even made it up to Layton to train at with Aldo and the killers up at One Hit a while back... I want to make that a regular thing. Life has just been hectic and my schedules been a mess, but I know I'll be coming into the fight sharp, prepared, and ready to win.
(ABOUT THE FUTURE) During my time off I did a lot of thinking on my fight career and where I want to take it... I even considered retirement. Martial arts have always been a huge part of my life and my identity. Looking back I realized that when I'm living the fighter's lifestyle and im dedicated to my training that my life is great and I excel at everything I do... I also realized that when I step away from fighting is when everything in my life goes downhill.... So I made the decision to jump back into the fight game. I'm still young and have too much talent to let it go to waste. So after I win this fight I'd like to keep going with it and become really active again. Start climbing the ranks! I'd just like to take this time to thank all the fight fans, promoters, coaches, and other fighters who have made the fight game in Utah what it is. I hope to see all of you at the fights come May 13th, I promise this is one you won't want to miss. Win loss or draw I promise to give you a show! Big thanks to my family, friends, teammates, and girl for all of your support of me living the dream!

Thanks Daniel, and good luck on May 13. Now, let's chat with James Russell Francis.

How the opportunity arose: My last fight was against Daniel in January 2015. Due to my job, my training had really been hindered to be at a competitive level. Last year my schedule got to a point that I could be consistent and get in shape. I finally feel in shape and was offered a fight by my manager Jen Howe over at Elite Performance. Initially I was not aware who the opponent was when I accepted, when I saw it was Stratton, I still accepted because in my mind, nothing had changed... I want to fight.  

My fighting style:  I've been in this game for a while now. Not saying I'm not improving, but when I first started I was a striker. At this point I am no longer just a pure striker. I am an MMA fighter who can strike and grapple and combine the two quite effortlessly. But... I still do prefer striking. To nutshell though, I'm a fight finisher... I don't like decisions. I go with every intent to live with or die on my sword about your opponent? Stratton is another cat who has been in the game for a while. For our first fight I would have sworn that his background was wrestling (especially growing up in Vernal), but I learned that he is a striker. He has fought in some big shows locally (Showdown for example), so he can handle the pressure of the fight game. He has my respect in that he is a dangerous fighter that if I ignore his skill, he can and will beat me. 

About training: I train over at Jeremy Horn's Elite Performance. We have an awesome group of guys that have always helped me. Jeremy Horn, Josh Tyler, Mitch Thompson (who is fighting on this same card), Tommy Le, etc. Unfortunately due to my work schedule I don't get to see them regularly. For this fight though outside of my usual help, I am getting help from my friend and Elite teammate Kenneth Scott (former U of U wide receiver), Eric Wahlin (former 205 Steelfist champion), Angel Ortiz (fighter/friend/coworker from California, Jordan Clements (former 155 Steelfist title challenger), Ryan Whipple (cardio nut who knows how to push my buttons to push myself) and last but definitely not least, my biggest cornerstone for training, my wife, Giselle Martinez. My teammates from the evening randomly come through in the mornings and help when their work schedule allows them to. I have a solid group of people to help prepare and no stone will be left unturned. (Photo below is of Francis (right) with MMA pro Jordan Clements)

What's next if I win: Like almost all MMA fighters (I only know one person whose goal is to end up not in the UFC but over in Japan), it is to fight in the UFC. That is the pinnacle of my goals. I have small goals to attain that will help me reach my final goal. After I win this fight I would like to fight the winner of Jon Neal vs Skyler Frazier (Neal) for the Steelfist 145lbs belt in June or July, or fight a contender fight if that is what will be required for that title fight. I also would like to fight internationally, I heard Nicaragua (where basically all my cousins, aunts, and uncles are at) has started to promote MMA events there. I'm from New York and have friends and my dad out there and would love to fight in Long Island. I would love to fight in both locations in front of my family and friends who have never had the opportunity to see me fight live. In the end, it will be a little over 28 months when we have our rematch. The result will be the same. It will be exciting, and I will come out victorious. He trains hard, and I anticipate he will train hard for this fight because he is dangerous. But I think it is overall what we have done in the last 28 months that will be the difference. I train to evolve, not just train hard for the sake of training. I evolved, I cannot say with guarantee he has.

Thanks James, and good luck to you too.

Here is more information about the card and promotion. It starts at 7 on May 13 and is at 3351 South Sand Hollow Road in Hurricane. For ticket info, 801-427-2020. Next week we'll have an interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister, who is on the card.

Some boxing news: Professional Jose Haro will not be fighting this month in Tijuana, but he says an Iowa bout is likely in the future. ... Several local Utahns, including Jon Bryant and Gabriel Chairez, are heading to Golden Gloves open nationals in early May. ... Utah Junior Olympics is this weekend in SLC. We'll try to get some results. ... All Heart Boxing is planning an amateur card on June 3 at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington.

SteelFist MMA card, amateur boxing on Saturday, April 18

Above are the two events this weekend that Utah Fight Game will be covering on Saturday. We'll have a photographer at Foley's gym in Ogden, 375 31st St., at 7 pm for amateur boxing. Tickets are $12, $6 for younger kids.

At the Riverbend Sports Complex in Salt Lake City, 1085 Winding River Code W, we'll be there at 6 p.m. for the SteelFist card (here). Ticket info is at steelfistfightnight.com or 801-637-7063. The main bout matches 145 pound SteelFist champ Jon Neal (One Hit MMA) of Ogden defending his title against Skyler Frazier (Absolute MMA). Other pro bouts include Ogden's Jordan Chandler (One Hit MMA) meeting Idaho veteran Kerry Lattimer and debut pro, from Foley's gym, AJ Garcia, versus One Hit MMA's Rowdy Akers.

-- Let's start with some boxing results from the amateur card at Legends in Sandy on April 11. They are: Yahir Estrada defeating Javier Gamma; Adriano Benn (All Heart) defeating Mateo Holt; Kai Chiang defeated Gary Bailey; Rene Mendoza defeated Jesus Saldana (All Heart); John Gonzalez defeated Andy Jensen (Foleys); Jesus Garcia defeated Dorian Spencer; Jordan Argyle defeated Alex Treadway (Foleys); and Ramon Lopez defeated Jon Bryant (Lights Out) in a surprise. I watched that bout via FB and Lopez used effective aggression to neutralize Bryant's outside boxing game. After the spring/summer tournament season finishes, this would make a good rematch.

In the pro ranks, Jose Haro is scheduled to fight in Tijuana, Mexico, at the end of the month. If we find out more we'll publish it at the blog. FKP Boxing, which just had a card at Riverbend, plans another pro/am card in May, I've been told.

BACK TO MMA

In previous posts, I have interviewed four fighters, Chandler, Lattimer, Garcia and Akers. We made an effort to get interviews with Neal and Frazier but it just didn't happen. My two cents on the main event is that Neal certainly merits being the favorite. He's yet to lose and he's passed his three toughest tests, wins over Scottie Casey, Jordan Clements and Tanner Cowan, well. Since after his pro debut, a decision win, no one has taken Neal into round three.

Having said that, I'm impressed with Frazier's talents as well, particularly his recuperative powers during fights, finding that second or third wind when necessary. Also, he learns from mistakes and despite some losses has returned a better fighter. As mentioned, Neal is my tabbed favorite but if Frazier can take this past round two and into areas that Neal is not familiar with, it may get more interesting. In any event, can't wait for this bout as well as the whole card. Despite peripheral neuropathy which keeps me home too often, I'm trekking to this card.

SOME MORE MMA NEWS: Davis County professional MMA fighter Sean Powers has signed a contract with Toronto-based Mickey Meyer Management Group. ... Friday, April 21, is a FITCON MMA card in SLC. On April 22 there's a kickboxing card scheduled. We did an interview with MMA amateur Eric Munoz, of Foley's gym recently, who will fight on April 21. Also scheduled to fight is undefeated female amateur Jessica Kruger. More info and the entire card is here. ... Buffy Ogden, a female MMA amateur who has been off a couple of years, announced on social media she may be back in the cage soon. Details will be announced after contracts are set. ... Also on social media, local amateur Brandon Rease (The Garage) said he may fight in Nevada soon.

Just remembered, go to the Utah Fighter MMA podcast of April 9 and hosts Eric Tillotson and Reed Romney analyze all three MMA cards, SteelFist, FitCon and South Valley Slam.

ONE MORE THING: We recently interviewed 46 year old MMA pro John Valentine, who is fighting on the May 13 South Valley Slam card in Hurricane, Utah. John's opponent has switched; he'll be fighting 170-pounder Michael Dillard. John generally fights at a lighter weight. Dillard has a win over Koji Lehman and a loss to Ogden MMA pro Justin Roberts among his bouts.

I chatted with John about the opponent change: "Hey Doug it's interesting I'm fighting a really big guy Mike Dillard. He's been around for a while; his record's about mixed but he's extremely big. I think he's 6 foot 1 inch, walks at 193 pounds it's gonna make for an interesting fight because I know he's going to lose some weight to get down to 170. I walk at 155 roughly but on fight night he's probably gonna have me by 30 pounds so I have to be very tight on my game strategy. I think I got this ... it's gonna be an exciting match up and probably will make for an exciting fight. There's already a lot of buzz and I sold a lot of tickets. People are more curious on whether not a little person can be the big person."

As the South Valley Slams draws nearer Utah Fight Game blog will have interviews with MMA pros Daniel Stratton and James Russell Francis, who are fighting each other on the card, and amateur Bryce Edminister, who will be meeting Nick Estrada on the card. ... Our periodic look a the state athletic commission upcoming fight events.

UPDATE: A chat with MMA pro John Valentine; boxing card Saturday

BLOG UPDATED WITH INFO ABOUT SATURDAY'S BOXING CARD (See below) ... John Valentine, (above) is making a return to the cage Saturday, May 13, in Hurricane, Utah, against Jeff Carson as part of the South Valley Slam. We chatted with the undefeated fighter recently about training for the bout and other issues. We'll get back with John and other Slam competitors as the fight date draws nearer.

Former Hidden Valley MMA head coach John Valentine looks to extend his undefeated pro record as he faces facing his toughest competition to date, Jeff "The Hitman" Carson. Carson has three times as many fights and is 21 years younger. John will be 46 upon entering the cage in May. 

While he hasn't been in the cage since his TKO win of Curtis Coe over a year ago he has been anything but inactive. Since moving to Las Vegas he joined the Robert Drysdale team and since has won three expert division titles with the North American Grappling Association (NAGA), competed at the Jiu Jitsu World Championships and recently in November competed on national TV on CBS Sports in a submission-only match in the cage for Randy Couture's charity event in Las Vegas to benefit wounded veterans. 

John won that match in less than 90 seconds after two vicious body slams eventually sending his opponent to the hospital via inverted heel hook. At the Pan-American Jiu Jitsu championship games in Long Beach in March he took the bronze medal in the brown belt division against some of the best grapplers in the country. 

I spoke with him shortly and he seemed very excited about this upcoming match up against someone he respects and has known for years. "I have followed Jeff's career for years and know him personally. He's a true respectful warrior and will have a noticeable size advantage over me. He's a great person who brings his best to the cage each and every time and I'm excited and honored at the opportunity."

He added, "I normally lose 20 pounds for my fights so I'm actually excited to fight at 155," adding he'll be strong at that weight.

Following The Pan-American games in March John told me he will be dedicating and switching his training back to MMA and has already assembled a dream team of coaches to ensure he brings his A game to the table. "I sometimes laugh when people think my only style is grappling and while many of my fights have ended that way I started out as a Muay Thai- and wrestling-focused fighter in the early '90s and didn't switch to grappling till 1999." 

In speaking with him it was evident that he is very focused on proving the critics wrong once again. "Most of my jiu jitsu, judo or fighting titles happened after I was 35 and now at 46 I believe I can accomplish anything and that age is just a number if you put the work in. This fight will surely not want to be missed."

We wish John the best at the South Valley Slam. Besides him, we have interviews scheduled with competitors James Russell Francis, Daniel Stratton, Bryce Edminister and hope to log a couple more chats.

Boxing

Saturday in Salt Lake City there is a Flash Newman-promoted card in Salt Lake City, Boxing at the Bend, at 1085 Winding River Cove West. The doors open at 7, and fights start at 8 p.m. The main event matches veteran pro Lorenzo Trejo with undefeated flyweight Damien Vasquez. 

Of more local interest is that a trio of undefeated local boxers, Larry Gomez, Ignacio Chairez, and Bladimir Estrada, are scheduled to fight. General admission seats are $30 and VIP Ringside $45. For information, call 801-949-8317.

Updated information March 31: Utah Fight Game blog has received the card for Saturday's fight night. Chairez fights Jorge Soto at 144 pounds (4 rounds), Estrada fights Britton Norwood at 178 pounds (4 rounds), Laurentino Enriquez fights Christian Aguirre at 155 pounds (4 rounds). And the main event between Vasquez and Trejo is 8 rounds.

Unfortunately, an opponent was unable to be found for undefeated Utah boxer Larry Gomez.

There are also six scheduled amateur fights. Of particular note, Ogden 120-pounder Diego Alvarez, who won the national Golden Gloves tourney in 2016, will be competing.

Another Salt Lake City fighter, Jose Haro, is slated to fight April 28 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Upcoming Utah boxing and MMA events can be found here.

Jose Haro closer to boxing date; Munoz to fight in SLC

I

I chatted with featherweight boxer Jose Haro, of West Jordan, Utah. He's an American featherweight champ of the American Boxing Association. Haro's training after being on the mend from foot surgery. It looks like he maybe fighting later this month or in April. (The photo above of Haro (left) in a bout is courtesy of Justin Hughes).

Haro: "I'm supposed to fight March 25 in Kansas. If not, I should be fighting April 7 in California."

Haro added that the April promotion, he thinks, may be with Thompson Boxing Promotions, and it may involve his connection with the American Boxing Association.

Speaking of the ABO, Juan Curiel, chief executive officer of that organization, told me that the ABO has future plans in Utah. Hopefully, we'll have more about that next week.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Locally, MMA amateur 185-pounder Eric Munoz, who trains at Foley's gym in Ogden with Pat Reeves' team The Pack, will fight Scott Foster in the Salt Palace on April 21 at a Jeremy Horn's card. I asked Munoz to comment on his preparation:

Munoz: "Always props to Pat Reeves and Dave Foley as well as The Pack, Ben Guymon, Giovani, and Justin Roberts." (Below, Munoz (at left) is seen training with Guymon and being coached by Reeves at Foley's gym.)

Ogden professional MMA featherweight Steven Siler will be fighting in April on a World Series of Fighting card. Whom he will fight is still to be released but we expect to have a chat with Siler in next week's blog.

Also, former main-bout MMA professional Daniel Stratton of Vernal announced on social media that he will be back in the cage on May 13 at the South Valley Slam, which will be at Sand Hollow in Hurricane. He'll fight James Russell Francis. It'll be a rematch of a bout Francis won.

And ,,, Here's a link to the upcoming events on the state athletic commission. It looks like Flash Academy will have a pro boxing card in SLC on April 1. We'll find out more about that and report.

MMA amateur Enriquez to fight with national promotion

I was talking recently with John Valentine, who started a women's MMA program at Hidden Valley gym in Draper that has made an impact in female mixed martial arts. (I once did a feature on the program)  He books more matches than likely anyone in Utah and is considered one of the key female matchmakers in the western United States, creating matches in Las Vegas and beyond. His company is named VSM.

Enriquez, he announced recently, will fight for Combate Americas, a U.S. Hispanic MMA sports franchise. On the blog we plan to interview Enriquez, 27, known as "Little Hands of Stone. Enriquez has logged the fastest knockout in Utah and has won both the 105- and 115-pound SteelFist belts.

Until then, we'll share Valentine's recent Facebook post on Enriquez:

"I have a very special announcement tonight regarding one of your very own local fighters that has just been signed to a major fight organization. I've been in talks for just over a month and we are finally we're able to finalize the contract for Brenda "Little Hands of Stone" Enriquez. 

"This generous multi-fight contract will be with none other than Combate Americas, the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, designed to build Latino fighting champions and serve Hispanic and American fans. The franchise includes award winning reality TV programming; action-packed, world championship live events. The company's CEO, Campbell McLaren, is universally recognized as the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). They recently began partnering with TV Azteca which means all of Brenda's fights will air nationally and take her across the globe. Her fights will also air on UFC fight Pass. She will also be fighting across the globe.

"In addition to amazing contract, Combate Americas is committed to continuing to partner with myself and her team to build Brenda's career and brand. This exclusive contract means Brenda must be poised to face world championship level MMA competition. Several camps will be joining forces in this task including Team Victory and Hidden Valley MMA will be preparing for her professional transition.

"Brenda will make her debut with the organization on a highly anticipated and televised card against a top name opponent which I am in now in talks with the organization as we speak.

"As you know Brenda has work very hard surmising a near perfect amateur record 7-1 and being the only female Utah fighter to hold 2 title belts in 2 different weight divisions and also holds Utah record for the fastest female finish in the cage. Her hard work and dedication led to this amazing opportunity in addition to her unwavering loyalty to stick with the people that have been there since the beginning her coaches and team. Loyalty builds unbreakable partnership.

"I want to thank Steelfist for taking the time to also invest and build Brenda's career. None of this would have happened without the dedication from Kevin, Pat, Troy and the rest of the crew led to this opportunity. Steelfist is the place to build your career.

"Those interested in national recognition and sponsorship with Brenda "Team Enriquez" can feel free to inbox me. All budget considerations considered.

"Please join me in congratulating Brenda on this amazing life changing opportunity and her future. Thank you."

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Another peek at scheduled events from the state athletic commission shows a relatively thin schedule through spring. SteelFist has an all-ages MMA card Feb. 18 in Farmington at Legacy Events Center. Nothing shows up for March. April has an all-ages SteelFist card in Salt Lake at Riverbend on the 15th. FitCon has two cards in April at the Salt Palace. The 21st is MMA and the 22nd is Muay Thai.

Finally, in May, there will be a South Valley Slam MMA card in Hurricane on the 13th, We hope to interview two or three contestants on the Feb. 18th card soon

Happy to see consistent MMA cards; hope we get some more boxing cards as well.